Huriwa Logo

Monday, 19 June 2017

"They’re abused to entertain us"

Alesha went undercover with us at cruel wildlife venues in Thailand.
We’re releasing the shocking footage, calling on tourists and tour operators to
help end the wildlife entertainment industry

Singer
and TV personality, Alesha Dixon, witnessed the cruel abuse of animals used to
entertain tourists in Thailand.

An
emotional and shocked Alesha saw elephants walking across a tightrope, kicking
a ball and spinning hoops on their trunks – some of the many ways wild animals
are exploited for money.

‘Ashamed to be a human being’

Alesha said: "I
feel ashamed to be a human being. I know from research that there is no humane
or kind way to train an elephant and for these shows there has been intense
training, and the elephants would have suffered severely.

"I’m
highlighting this cruelty so tourists stop going and this abuse ends."

Wildlife belongs in the wild

Alesha
is supporting our Wildlife. Not entertainers campaign, which has already seen
significant success in moving the world to protect animals.

A catalogue of cruelty

Elephants
are taken from their mothers as babies and subjected to gruelling training to
make them submissive enough to perform in shows or give rides to tourists.

They
endure ongoing physical abuse, including being beaten with bull hooks (wooden
sticks with a metal hook on the end). Every day they are psychologically
abused. Most spend the rest of their lives performing or giving rides to
tourists, unable to carry out normal behaviours as they would in the wild.

Exploiting baby animals

The
newly released footage also reveals baby tigers used for tourist photos and
then thrown into cages to await the next photo.

Alesha said: "A
two-month-old baby should be with its mother, not in a tiny cage and then
passed and pulled about like they are just a product.

"These
wild animals have no life, they have no choice, they have no freedom and it’s
quite frankly disgusting. My job is to perform, to entertain, it's my passion,
it's my love and it's a choice that I made for myself. I cannot imagine being
forced to do it."

A better life

As well
as seeing cruel venues in Thailand, Alesha also got to see much happier scenes
at Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES). The sanctuary is devoted to creating
a safe and natural home for rescued and retired Thai elephants, many of which
have been previously abused by the tourist industry and cannot be safely
returned to the wild.

Everyone’s responsibility

As
tourism continues to grow, we estimate that approximately 110
million people visit cruel wildlife tourist attractions
each year, unaware of the abuse involved.

85% of
people agreed that wild animals belong in the wild, according to an independent
poll we commissioned. Three quarters said it was wrong for people to make an
income from using wild animals for entertainment if the animals suffer*.

Make a pledge for elephants

Together,
we’re calling on tourists not to go to these cruel attractions when they go on
holiday, and are asking tour operators to stop offering, promoting and selling
them.

Alesha said: "People
need to know that behind the scenes these beautiful animals are kept in tiny
little pens, have no freedom and are abused for our entertainment.

"People
want to be close to them because they are so beautiful. I would rather stand
back and admire them from afar in the wild where they belong. I’m sure when
people realise the hidden cruelty, they will too."

Alyx Elliott, our head of
campaigns, added: "Tourists that visit these
attractions are often animal lovers but they don’t realise the cruelty that
goes on behind the scenes to get the elephant to walk the tightrope or for the
baby tiger to have a photo with you.

"We
want to let everyone know about this cruelty so that they can make an informed
choice, avoid these places completely, and consider seeing them in the wild
instead."

HURIWA'S WORKING VISIT TO ICPC ON THE 27TH MARCH 2013

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS' ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA; HURIWA, ON DECEMBER 12TH 2012 VISITED THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY[NEMA] ALHAJI MOHAMMAD SANI-SIDI ON THE CELEBRATION OF WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY TO CONFER ON HIM THE HUMAN RIGHTS PERSON OF THE YEAR 2012 BY THE ORGANIZATION. THE DG PROMISED TO TAKE DISASTER MANAGEMENT LESSONS TO ALL PARTS OF NIGERIA. HURIWA WAS LED BY ITS NATIONAL COORDINATOR COMRADE EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO.